Cedar Park to cancel May city election; Leander ballot set; LISD board president runs opposed

All three Cedar Park incumbents, Stephen Thomas, Lyle Grimes and Jon Lux, will automatically be renewed two-year terms because no challengers submitted their name for consideration before the March 1 deadline. Leander, on the other hand, confirmed John Perez and Jerry Perez respectively as Place 1 and Place 3 challengers. The election takes place May 11.

Both John Perez and Jerry Perez ran unsuccessfully for council seats in 2012. John Perez lost his Place 4 bid against incumbent Michell Cantwell last May, while John Perez fell to Jason Dishongh in a June runoff election. Dishongh faces no challengers this time to secure his first full three-year term as Place 5 councilman.

This time, John Perez, a former councilman, will challenge Place 1 incumbent Andrea Navarrette, who first served on council in 2005 and again since 2009. Jerry Perez will attempt to unseat Place 3 Councilman Simon Garcia, who was first elected in 2011.

In addition to the council election, Leander voters will also be able to chime in on the ongoing debate for firefighters to gain civil service status as well as some city charter amendments that require voter approval.

In Leander ISD, only President Pamela Waggoner's Place 3 seat will be opposed in May. Challenger Jim MacKay, a regional sales manager in the public safety sector and firefighter with the Texas Air National Guard, filed in February. No one filed to run against Secretary Grace Barber-Jordan in Place 4 and Vice President Russell Bundy in Place 5.